The wisest man
by Schizoprenic-Squirrel
Summary: A boy goes looking for the secret to happiness.... so what does he find? Idea taken form THE ALCHEMIST. Oneshot, no Yaoi, ect. ect.


I have 'The Alchemist' as an audiobook on my iPod, and there was a section where they had a small legend/ story thing, and it was kinda cool in my opinion. So I adapted the idea to fit Yu-Gi-Oh!, so I hope you enjoy. I highly recommend 'The Alchemist'. It is one of the greatest novels I hve ever had the pleasure of reading/ listening to. You can find it on iTunes.

Disclaimers- I don't own u-Gi-Oh! or 'The Alchemist'. I enjoy them both, however.

The Wisest Man

A boy with tan skin and violet eyes trudges through the hot sand of the desert, clad in heavy clothes with a piece of cloth secured around his head with a once beautiful white ribbon, which was now faded with age. Another piece of cloth covered the bottom half of his face, keeping the sands riding on the hot desert winds out of his mouth. A few strands of platinum blonde hair were plastered to his face by sweat, and a few blowing around. He had been traveling the desert for eleven months, wearing holes in his leather and reed sandals strapped upon his feet. His brown leather bag had developed many tears and holes, and had been patched up many times over. His already thin linen coat was becoming even thinner, so mush so that he had to trade two of his bracelets and an obsidian dagger with a steel blade that had a ruby embedded in the blade, with a silver handle and an emerald embedded in the pommel. That had been a great loss, but to achieve his goal he had ot make sacrifices. He had to trade for a durable, more sturdy wool coat to keep out the sand, and that was already wearing thin. Why would he go to such great lengths? Why travel across a desert with little food and almost no water for over half a year? He was looking for the wisest man on earth. To find the meaning of happiness, and to find what cold make him eternally happy. The pace he was looking for was not only hidden, but it was the most magnificent place on the face of the earth. A stunning palace of both beauty and knowledge, home to the wisest man on earth. The boy kept searching for weeks, enduring sandstorms and thirst and hunger, his already dark skin becoming even darker before, one bright, hot, sunny, clear day, which was by far the brightest, hottest, sunniest, clearest day of all the ones that he had endured, he started climbing what had to be by far the biggest sand dune he had traversed, his vision blurred from heat stroke, his already heavy breath became even heavier and labored, and his step faltered from lack of nourishment as he climbed, going higher and higher until, finally, he couldn't walk any more. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. He rolled down the other side of the dune, his linen coat now in rags on the gown, and the woolen one was full of holes, and was starting ot come apart at the seams. Still, when the boy looked up, he saw the most wonderful sight he had seen in all the weeks and months he had ben traveling. There, before him, was the most beautiful oasis he had ever seen. He knew very well that it might be a mirage, but feeling one of the many date trees growing in the oasis was enough to prove him wrong.The oasis was covered in shade from the incredible sand dunes surrounding it, as well as the innumerable date trees that surrounded it, which were so heavy with the sweet fruit that the boy thought they would fall over. There were clear, deep pools and fountains of fresh, cool water surrounded by exotic flowering and fruit- bearing plants. Put all of it paled in comparison ot what it surrounded. In the middle of the oasis, was the most magnificent palace. It made even the pharaoh's great palace in Alexandria seem insignificant. It had multiple turrets, painted magnificent colors in beautiful patterns. The palace itself was made of white alabaster and marble, the sun glinting off of it in some places, making it seem to glow. Brilliant carvings and magnificent, deeply colored jewels were embedded in the white colored stone. Large windows were framed on the inside with deep, richly- colored curtains. But the most magnificent feature of the palace was the door. It was the largest, most wonderful looking thing ever. It was a double door, covered in gold. Two silver griffins who held two flawless looking emeralds in their claws, which later the boy would find out were handles. They had two perfect, blood- red rubies for eyes. Jewels were embedded in the top and bottom of the door. The boy admired the door for a moment more, before turning ot one of the fountains and drinking the water, which tasted wonderful. He splashed some of the clear liquid on his face, relishing the sensation. after he had drank all he wanted and filled his canteen, he walked back to the doors. Hesitantly, he took one of the emeralds in hand and, with a moments hesitation, pulled open the door. It swung open easily, seeming light as a feather. The inside was just as, if not more, shocking and amazing than the outside. People, scores of them, milled about a huge room, which was apparently the whole first floor. People, from merchants to kings to beggars from the streets milled about. Talking in so many languages the boy didn't know, dressed in such variety that it seemed like the whole world was crammed in this one room. In the middle of the room, there was a table. A large table, filed with the rarest meats, fruits, and vegetables. Huge jars of drinks were lined along a wall, people partaking from it all. The boy scanned the room again, looking for the wisest man. This had ot be where he lived, it was the most beautiful place he had ever seen, and even in all the world. After a minute or two, he saw who was undoubtedly whom he was looking for. A tall man with pale skin, which ot the boy was shocking ot a degree. Nobody in the desert had tan skin at all. His hair was white, and messy, and it went down to his middle back. He was dressed impressively, like a king. He was going around talking ot everyone in the room, taking his time, laughing, drinking, enjoying himself like all of the other people in the room. The boy went to the table, delighted at the sight of food. He was famished, and to him, this was heaven on earth.

The boy waited two hours before the man came around ot talk to him, still smiling.

He asked what he had came so far for, putting his well being at risk to come ot his home. When the boy answered, to find the secret of happiness, he gave the boy a teaspoon, filled with two drops of oil, and said--

Walk around my home, for two hours, but whatever happens, do not let a drop of oil spill from this spoon.

He said. The boy nodded his head in understanding, and took the spoon. He walked for two hours, ascending and descending many stairways, walking the labyrinth of hallways, and out into a garden, and then back. For two hours he did that, keeping his violet eyes on the spoon the entire time. When he walked back, almost everyone had gone, but the man was still there. When the boy walked in, he set his drink down and walked over and asked--

What did you see?

The boy replied that he had seen nothing, that he had been to busy watching the spoon of oil, making sure that none of it had spilled.

Did you not see the tapestries?

The man said, looking at his disapprovingly through red- brown eyes.

Did you not see the carving? Or the garden that took the gardener ten years to create? Or the animals wandering the halls of my home? Did you not see anything but that spoon of oil?

He asked.

Yes, the boy answered. He felt ashamed, but he did not see what he had done wrong. He had done exactly what the wise man had told him to do, and he was angry at him?

Go back, the man said, looking down at the boy.

Go back and this time, this time observe the tapestries, and carvings. Watch the animals, look at the garden. Observe. And then come back.

So the boy walked through the palace again. He observed the richly colored tapestries, the animals running through the halls and garden, the flowers and fountains in the garden. And when he came back, the room was empty except for the wise man, who was looking out a window, staring at the sky.

He looked at the boy when he heard him approach and asked hi if he had done what he had asked. The boy nodded his head, wondering what would happen now.

What happened to the oil, the wise man asked, smiling at him.

The boy looked down ot see that the spoon was still in his hand, but it was empty, hanging by his side.

He didn't remember ever letting the oil spill out of the spoon, he had been to busy doing what the wise man said, observing everything in the wise man's home.

The point of everything you have done is this-- , the wise man said,

Stop to enjoy and observe the things in live, but never forget about what needs to be remembered, responsibilities that need to be taken care of.

End

Whoohoo!! I finished!!

Hope you all liked it.

See if you can guess who was the wise man and who was the boy.

'Later!!


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